Camping in the Thunder Plains
by Skrink LaDoo
Summary: Aurikku. Takes place before Yuna comes in to the Gullwings, when Rikku camps out in the Thunder Plains in FFX2. Rikku needs some convincing, and Auron being there might just do the trick...future smut, most definitely. View Discretion advised, rated M.
1. Headache

I don't own any of these characters or anything, yada yada yada....

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**  
Chapter One**

_"Headache"_

"Rikku!!" Brother searched for his eccentric, 19 year old sister. Him, Paine and Buddy have been talking about an idea for a little while, trying to figure out the best way to lay this out on Rikku. Rikku was busy in the engine room, ducked under some pipes and wires humming to herself.

"RIKKU!" Brother yelled loudly. Surprised, Rikku's instinct was to stand up quickly, causing her to hit her head on some pipes. The impact caused her to fall down again.

"Owie!" She rubbed the back of head and backed out slowly to stand up.

"What do you _want_?" She asked, annoyed. By this time, Paine was entering the room.

"There you are." She walked down the stairs and stood next to Rikku. "You okay?"

"I figured out why it smells in the bridge."

"You mean it's not Brother?" Paine asked.

Brother grunted and frowned. "Hmph."

Rikku giggled and said, "One of the wires burned out that connects to a pipe and..."

"ENOUGH!" Brother said. "My head hurts." He covered his ears with his hands and ducked his head. Paine rolled her eyes. Rikku punched him in the arm. Brother dramatically threw himself onto the floor and clutched his arm. "RIKKUUU!!" he groaned.

"Shut up, unless you don't value your other arm." Paine glared at him. He stopped and sat up, legs crossed, pinching his thumb and forefinger together and resting his wrists on his knees. Pretending to meditate. Rikku rolled her eyes.

"So, what's up?" Rikku asked while she cleaned off her hands with an already dirty rag.

"Brother and I had an idea..."

"You're camping out in the Thunder Plains." Brother said, eyes still shut, sitting perfectly still. A grin crept across his face.

Silence. Awkward, too. Rikku froze, staring off into space.

"Make me," she said cheerfully and strolled down the stairs to grab some more tools.

Paine hurried to catch up to her, smacking Brother upside the head along the way. Brother attempted to grab her ankles, but Paine hopped up just in time and turned around to glare at Brother while she tried to catch up with Rikku.

"Rikku, just think about it."

"Nope." Rikku said just as cheerfully as she searched the cabinets for the extra wires and wire-cutters.

"But there are lightening-towers there and they _work_. Besides you're going to have to face your fears of thun-"

"I do, do I?" Rikku asked rhetorically as she looked through the bottom cabinets for gloves. She muttered something about people fooling around with her stuff.

"Rikku! Just listen!" Paine said angrily and grabbed Rikky by the wrist and pulled her up. Realizing how she over-reacted, she apologized and let go.

"Sorry, instinct." Rikku gave her a "hmph" and started cursing to herself in Al Bhed.

Suddenly, an idea came across Paine's mind. "We can ask Auron to watch over you." At this, Rikku froze on the spot. Paine grinned. _'Just mentioning him causes her heart to skip a beat.'_ She thought to herself.

"Lies." Rikku finally said and picked up her box of tools to set them on the counter. "And anyway, how do you know about Auron?"

"Buddy told me about two years ago, when you were on Cid's ship." Paine replied, with an after-thought, '_And your constant staring at this 'Auron.'_

At this, Rikku blushed and turned away to continue her search for gloves. At least now she was _thinking_ about considering the idea. It _would_ help her face her only fear, after all.

Rikku's whole upper body, starting with her shoulders, were now in the cabinet, searching in the back for rubber gloves.

"AHA!" Brother jumped down the stairs and nearly landed on Paine. Rikku's instincts betrayed her again and she hit her head on the top of the cabinet ceiling. She angrily pulled herself out of the cabinet, marched over to Brother and kneed him in the stomach, causing him to gasp for air. Seeing him holding her black rubber gloves, she grabbed them while Paine smacked him on the head.

Rikku walked over to the countertop, grabbed her box of tools and strolled past them both to the burnt out wire and clogged up pipe. '_I haven't seen tall, dark and handsome brooding-man in a while, though.'_ She thought to herself as she set her tools down and cautiously ducked under the obstacle pipes, keeping her instincts in check.

Suddenly, Paine appeared standing over Rikku, grinning. It was silent, so Rikku didn't even notice her. Until...

"I know what you're thinking."

Rikku hit her head again.

"TIME TO DIE!" Rikku crawled out and shot up. Paine and Brother began to scramble away, almost tripping over themselves as they scurried up the stairs and dashed out of the door. Rikku chased after them, threatening and cursing them in Al Bhed the whole way, while Paine yelled out "Sorry! Sorry!" over and over and Brother laughed and giggled away.

After about 10 minutes of this it turned into hide-and-go-seek, and Rikku was definitely not in the mood. She whirled around and stormed off angrily back to the engine room to fix the wires.

After about an hour or so, the pipes and wires were all fixed. Rikku somehow managed to convince herself that it wouldn't be that bad, as long as Auron was there. She stepped out of the elevator, walked down the hall, and hopped over the railings of the small platform. '_Besides, the lightening-towers work now, and as long as Auron's there..._ _Yeah, I'll camp out in the Thunder Plains to "get over my fear of thunder." And anyway, sphere waves are often picked up from around that area and..._

"Hi kiddies!" she said loudly as she skipped over to her little "station." The other members of the Gullwings stared after her, confused at her mood swing. Rikku typed away on her computer, pretending to search for sphere waves and other treasures. She also noticed the lack of stench, and was quite satisfied. After a few minutes, Paine walked over to stand next to Rikku's station.

"So...are you going t-"

"Did you talk to Auron?" Rikku said, trying to sound as casual as possible and never taking her eyes of the computer screen.

"Yes," Paine grinned.

"Well?"

"He'll be here tomorrow."

Rikku continued to pretend to be busy on the computer, going through everything in her head. The very thought of Auron made her smile even bigger than it usually is, if possible. A tingly-sensation crept over her, and she tried hard as she could not to shiver or get goosebumps, and not to show her grin. That tingly-sensation filled her head to toe, and then concentrated a little south of her belly-button.

"Okay," Rikku said, casually, and went back to doing actual work.

Paine walked away satisfied, giving a quiet high-five to Buddy as they peered over Shinra's shoulder, examining past spheres.

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I'm new at fanfiction/smut writing, so criticism is ALWAYS appreciated :)  



	2. No Running, kiddies

Chapter 02  
"No Running, kiddies"

Rikku rolled over in her bed, not in any hurry to open her eyes. Infact, she would quite rather still be sleeping.

The sunlight poured in the room, making the bright sheets and shiny wood floors glow. The strong reflection was what made her eyelids peel open. A dark figure penetrated her vision, which was quite blurry as it is, so Rikku was startled, but her instincts told her not to make any sudden movements or signs of life until she knew who --or what-- it was. Her eyes opened more, and the creature's back was facing her. He --she guessed it was a male by the fairly short brown hair, with strands of gold and gray-- was leaning against her night-table. He was wearing a dark crimson robe, with shoulder-blade-armor beautifuly decorated. His collar rose with strands of blue and yellow fabric encircling it.

"You're up early." The figure said, with a hint of amusement and sarcasm in his voice. _'Damnit, it heard me.'_

"Auron?" Rikku lifted her head, trying to her open her eyes fully. Her voice was quiet and deep. "What time is it?"

"One in the afternoon."

"How long have you been standing here?" Rikku was worried. She has this nasty habbit of talking in her sleep, and often says embarrasing things.

At this, the legendary guardian grunted and said, "Does it matter?"

_ "Well it does to me."_ Rikku muttered as she flipped over the sheets. Realizing she was in her rather skimpy pajamas, she quickly covered herself again. Auron, seeing her embarrased, turned away and examined the bookshelf.

"Um...I need to get d--"

"I'll be in the Bridge," and the guardian walked past her bed as if he was a Greek God, without even looking at her, except...

'_Was that a glance coming from the corner of his eye?'_

Rikku dismissed the thought, thinking her self more foolish than usual. She always felt inferior around him, though she'd never admit it. He made his way down the stairs and out of the bar.

When she heard the door shut, she quickly hopped out of bed and got dressed in her usual; yellow bikini top with black adjustable straps and a knot in the middle, white sleeves which covered her arms, not her shoulders or hands, with very neatly fluffed up bows holding the sides together, a green very short skirt with yellow drawstrings connecting the front to the back, curved at her hips. She also had heeled boots, but they were soft and comfortable, white with blue crosses. She completed her outfit with her extra-long scarf, blue headband and thin rubber gloves that were more brown than red, and they did not go much further than her knuckles.

'_Now, as for the packing..._' She stood over over her dresser, the drawers opened, looking down at them and frowning. Her suitcase was next to her, on the bed, open.

Suddenly she leaned over and grabbed a buncha clothes and shoved them into her suitcase. When the first drawer was empty, she started on the second. Socks, shirts, pants and bras sometimes flew out of her grasp and landed in various other places. Some even landed in the downstairs bar, causing Barkeep to look up in wonder.

Rikku was lost in her determination to pack as quickly as possible, so she didn't notice Paine standing there.

"Excited?" Paine asked loudly, and Rikku jumped back. Seeing it was Paine, she lowered her arms and tried to catch her breath.

"Yeah...don't do that," Rikku said, sort of shaking her finger "no" at Paine.

"Just a thought...packing? Not your thing."

Rikku looked up at Paine and scoffed. At this Paine raised her hands as if surrendering to something and smiled.

After watching Rikku's madness, Paine finally asked, "You know you're only spending a week there, right?"

"What?! A whole week?" Rikku sighed in frustration and stopped what she was doing, momentarily.

Paine rolled her eyes. "Come on, it'll be fine. You wear the same thing everyday anyway..."

"DO NOT!" Rikku insisted as she closed her suitcase, sat on it, and clipped it shut. She grabbed it by the handle, and picked it up as though it was as light as a suitcase full of air. Which it wasn't, because the minute she dragged it off the bed it fell to the floor, and her along with it.

"Damnit, give me a hand, will you?" Paine helped Rikku carry the quite heavy suitcase half way down the steps when they decided to toss it as far as they could in the direction of the door.

"One...two...GO!" they swung it and sent if flying over the spiral railing. It i just /i missed the small square table, grazing it slightly. It slid out the narrow door a few inches. Rikku hopped over the railing, landing on her feet, her and Paine running towards it. Rikku kicked it as hard as she could, sending it sliding halfway down the walkway, and Paine raced to kick it the rest of the way.

They were both laughing as they rushed to the end of the hallway in the elevator. Suddenly the doors opened and Auron stepped out. Paine immediately let go and stopped running, but Rikku's attention was on the race and the suitcase as she was sliding it fast as she could, causing her head to knock right into his...sensitive area.

Rikku fell down, landing on her butt, and froze on the spot once what just happened became clear to her. Auron let out a short gasp of air and grunted, but immediatley regained his composure as he took the suitcase, lifted it by the handle and stood back up again, as if the suitcase weighed about the same as a cardboard box.

"Sorry," Rikku whispered hoarsely as she peered up at the calm character. Being near him made her fluttery and anxious enough, but knocking into him took the cake, especially considering where she actually knocked into.

"Hmph, don't worry about it." He said casually. Paine was standing up, her fingers curled and covering her mouth, trying to conceal her laughter. "Let's go," and he turned around to walk back in the elevator.

Paine took wide steps to reach Rikku, leaned into her ear and said, "This is what happens when children run in the hallway," and she started giggling.

"Shut up! Anyway, I don't think children knock into groins everytime they run in the hallways." Rikku hissed, and all three of them crammed into the elevator, facing the door. Rikku was pressed directly against Auron, and Paine was off to the other side. The doors closed, and it was dark. Trying to get in a comfortable position, Rikku started to squirm around a bit.

When she finally found a comfortable position, (just before it was time to get off, actually) she realized there was a certain something digging into her upper thigh, and it wasn't Paine. Surprised, she jumped a little, but sensing Auron tense up, she tried to relax and pretend like nothing was out of the ordinary.

'_After all, he is a guy. It's not like if someone else wasn't squirming all over his groin, he wouldn't...ew. Point is, it didn't happen just because I was the one that did it...' _Rikku tried to convince herself that nothing special happened; that he was, after all, a male, and males do tend to have penises. She tried desperately to push the thought out of her mind. I mean, she has had a crush on him since she was 15, but Auron! Of all people! She could barely stand the thought.

Yet she couldn't help her heart fluttering just a little as they all stepped out onto the Deck, waiting to arrive at the Thunder Plains to jump ship.


	3. They're Fine

_Sorry everyone! I've been really busy not having any inspiration to write . but I'm back now! Constructive criticism and just plain compliments are still appreciated and thank you so much for all your nice things to say! I could also use a beta reader, if anyone is interested. _

_One of my reviewers had a really good question...Icing Flower, I actually read an AU Aurikku by Eva Harlow that took place in our Universe when Auron was still around. It kind of altered my perception of the whole story and I liked the idea of him being around in an AU. So I guess this is sort of AU. I'll have to work out how he's still around sometime in the future._

_He is better off dead in X-2 because goddamn that game was warped and not half as good as FFX. Amen, sista._

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, nor am I gaining any profit (except personal satisfaction ) so please don't come after me with your money-fiends.

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**Chapter 03**

_They're Fine_

Rikku landed as gracefully as she could on top of the roof of the Travel Agency, her wet braids slapping against her face. The rain wasn't as bad today, though once you jumped below the dark clouds you immediately got acquainted with a permanent night. And it wasn't cold either --- infact, the rain was warm and soft against her skin and clothes, almost soothing, as if silk was melting through her skin.

She hopped off the roof, but this time she wasn't so graceful. Landing in what she thought was a puddle turned out to be a mud slide. Her legs went up in the air as her upper body came splashing down in the mud.

A wave of fear came over her as she became aware of what just happened. The cool mud slid like slime downwards while she tried to rest on her elbows. Blinking her eyes roughly a few times, she shook her head and brought herself to her senses. There before her stood Auron, his great figure looming over her.

"Hmhmhm," the closest you could get to a chuckle from him.

"Don't laugh at me!"

He stopped and watched her struggle. A sound like "hmph" erupted from Rikku as she struggled to get herself up. She barely got to her feet, one knee still on the ground, one arm in the air grabbing for balance...then fell back in.

"You could help me, you know!" But the guardian's hand was already outstretched towards her. Rikku took it after looking at it for a few seconds, as if trying to label what it was. He pulled her up with ease and a slight grunt. She stood apart from him, trying to wipe off the mud from her skirt without hitting him with any.

Thunder crashed, a big flash of lightening across the sky.

"Eeek!"

This time Auron predicted her instinct to fall into mud puddles and caught her in his arms, dropping his katana in the mud.

Suddenly aware of her bearings, Rikku hopped up, mumbled a nervous "thank you" and picked up her belongings that landed a few feet from her.

"I guess we should find a good spot... what about that shelter thing over there?" She briskly walked towards the potential area, talking to herself. It looked like a dried up, wooden mushroom. Couldn't be wood, though. It would've softened and caved in if it was wood.

Auron chuckled, picked up his sword and walked slowly behind her, keeping a safe distance. It was just like her to be hyper and bouncy. Tidus made a remark to him once, a while back, when they were still on Yuna's pilgrimage; Auron remembered it well.

_"You know, Auron...she's really not as annoying when you're not around." Tidus smirked at the knight._

_"Hm. What do you mean?"_

_"Well, I remember on the ship when I first came to Spira, and while she was rather friendly...she was never _shakingly _hyper. And then _you_ were with us, and when she came...she was..."_

_"I know what you're getting at. Leave it alone."_

_Tidus shrugged. "I know what you're thinking, old man."_

_"Leave. It. Alone. Come on, they're waiting." Auron got up to leave. As he was turning his back..._

_"Just saying..." Auron froze, turned his head to the side so he could see Tidus out of the corner of his good eye, and glared. Then he walked on._

Auron chuckled at the memory and sped up his pace to catch up with Rikku. When he got there, she already set her bags down and stood staring at them. She shifted her weight to her left leg, tilted her head to that side and started lightly scratching her cheek with her forefinger; a trademark Rikku mannerism.

_She's cute when she does that_, Auron grinned at the gesture and set his katana against the large pillar that held up the...shelter. Standing at the edge of the platform, he quietly surveyed the land and decided the only place he could get anything useful for heat was at the Al Bhed Travel Agency.

"I'm going to get some food, want anything?"

"Uuhh...sure! I'll have a cheesburger with fries, and a Mountain Dew. That okay?"

"That's it?"

"What do you mean?"

"I recall you had a much larger appetite." He said kindly, almost amusingly. Rikku didn't take offense at the potential implication that she was _fat._She wouldn't **not** wear as much as she does if she were fat.

"I had something before we got here."

"How about...two cheesburgers?"

"Better make it two Mountain Dews, then."

"Want any shoopuff milk? It might help get you relaxed."

"No, Mountain Dew is fine."

"I'll be back soon."

"_I'm_ not going anywhere," she said, and with that she unclipped her bags and dumped the contents all over the platform. Auron walked out into the rain and made his way to the travel agency.

_He acts like...my guardian, or something,_ she said to herself as she watched him out of the corners of her eyes.

------

It came to the point where Rikku had to decide where they would both sleep...that is, would he rather sleep on the other side, or closer to her, or...?

"Gross!" She said as an image of Auron and her sleeping _together_ flashed into her mind. She couldn't help but smile, though. She did feel a little tingling in her "secret area," which didn't help her decision-making, either.

_Maybe I should've taken him up on that shoopuff milk offer, _she thought as she neatly set up the "beds" a safe distance apart, but still close enough to...keep an eye on each other.

She heard that familiar growl coming from her stomach that she knew all too well just as she finished setting up her books next to her bed. Standing up to survey her work, she noticed how closely the beds were. They were practically on top of each other, not even two feet apart.

"What am I thinking?" she said aloud. She bent down to scoot the beds apart, when Auron spoke.

"Something wrong?"

Rikku's heart nearly popped out of her chest. She jumped back and put her hand on her heart, trying to catch her breath. Raising her eyebrow and giving him a half-annoyed, half-amused look, she went back to what she was doing. "I made these beds too close..."

"They're fine."


	4. Missing Garments

**Missing Garments**

It was 9:00 in the morning when Rikku woke up to the sounds of screeching fiends and Auron yelling at her in Al Bhed.

"Rikku! Fyga ib!" "Rikku! Wake up!"

Rikku slowly peaked up from underneath her covers, her blonde hair poking out first and then her forehead and finally her eyes, unable to fully open yet. A large flash of lightening hit the tower near her, causing her to shut her eyes tightly once more.

"Rikku! Kad ib!" "Rikku! Get up!" A brighter flash of lightening seemed to strike right in front of her, and then she felt something liquid and warm drop on her forehead, slithering down her nose and underneath her right eye. She peaked open her left eye to a Melusine, sniffing her. When she whimpered it stopped suddenly, and slowly parted its lips to show it's teeth. She felt its breath come swiftly in vicious hiss. Both eyes shot open and then closed again on instinct.

Rikku slithered out from under her covers, fear quickening her naturally fast movements, absentmindely aware that her skirt was being scraped up as she went. The more pressing matter of a fiend nearly biting her face off pushed the issue to the back of her mind as she leapt up and snatched the grenades she carried with her in her belt.

Auron dealt one fatal blow to a Aerouge and it collapsed, the pyre flies singing as they traveled up towards the sky and faded from view.

Meanwhile, Rikku ripped out the tag of one grenade and threw it at the fiend, shielding her eyes as the explosion lit up the area like a gigantic flash of lightening. The fiend slouched a bit and hissed in pain. Auron noticed blood and flesh along the pillars, dripping slowly down or sticking in place. His eyes traveled to Rikku and, noticing the uprisen skirt, immediately diverted themselves, as if looking away quickly would erase the image of Rikku's...butt...from his mind.

Wasn't a particularly _bad_ image, either.

Auron scolded himself, partially ashamed at his growing erection. Rikku was busy grinning deviously as she grabbed her blades and darted towards the fiend. With two amazing quick swipes and a leap back, the fiend's head was seperated from its body as it collapsed and decayed into a pile of pyreflies.

"Yeah!" Rikku yelled and threw her arm up in the air in triumph. She whirled around to face Auron, a satisfied grin unable to escape her. Auron was still not looking at her, and just as she was about to ask what's wrong, she remembered that her skirt was higher up than usual. _Shit_, she thought, and hurriedly pulled the skirt down to a more appropiate length. Smiling, Auron turned to face her peering over his sunglasses, grinning with pride at this one young, nieve girl now grown into a quick fighter.

"What?" She tilted her head to the side, her braids moving slightly.

"You handled yourself well."

"Thanks. You saved my life, you know..."

"You wouldn't done just as well even if I wasn't here." Rikku's blood rushed to her face.

She took a deep breath, the adrenaline that covered up the rude awakening dispersing. _Yeah_, she thought, _but I sure am glad you _are_ here, Auron. _With a grin that couldn't conceal her embarrasment at the compliment, she turned around slowly and noticed the mess she made on their stuff.

"Grooosss!" She groaned loudly and sat down, bending her knees infront of her so that she was resting on her feet and her shins.

Auron chuckled. "Don't worry about it," he said. "We can clean it up later. I bet you're hungry." The rumbling of Rikku's tummy agreed with him. She smiled, amused, and took the hand that offered its support to help her stand.

They walked in silence, borderlining awkwardness. The Travel Agency wasn't a very long way, but the silence made it seem like hours had passed with every step. Rikku kept thinking of pranks she could play on Auron to get him fuming like she used to, during Yuna's pilgrimmage, but decided to control herself for the time being. Being with him pushed the child in her to the surface, and Rikku began to feel nostalgic...which bothered her. "Memories are nice, but that's all that they are," right?

Well, apparently not _this_ memory.

She's seen Auron being Sent by her own cousin, which was traumatic in of itself for Rikku's fragile heart, and she's seen the fayth sending him back _again._ Now, after two years of not seeing or hearing from him once, Rikku began to feel her heart strings tug in his direction; _again_. The more she thought about it, the more the presence of Auron walking next to her sent sensations that tickled her heart and...other special areas.

"Are you alright?"

"Huh?" Rikku didn't hear him speaking.

"You look nervous."

"Oh...I'm...uuh...just a little...um...riled up! That's all." _That did NOT sound like something suggestive at ALL,_ Rikku thought sarcastically and scolded herself for always being so obvious. She began to wonder if she was this obvious on the pilgrimmage; laying traps for Auron to discover only after he fell for them, hiding his katana while he was taking a bath in a lake, taking quick peeks at him relieving himself...nah. The rain began falling hard again, and Rikku suddenly wished she varied her outfit a bit; her clothes were starting to cling to her skin. At least she was getting better with lightening...

CRACK!

"Eeek!" Rikku jumped up, fell to the floor and covered as much of her head as possible with her arms. A blindingly white flash of lightening seemed to have stricken inches from her nose: the big bang that usually comes with lightening seemed to deafen her temporarily. She could not hear a thing, only feel the rain falling hard all around her. She suddenly felt cold, alone, helpless. Like a child who's gotten seperated from her father in the middle of a battle against Sin. Rikku began to cry.

The pressure all went to her head, the tears were endless and came hard, and she felt something disgusting drip out of her nose and rub onto her arm. Rikku cried so hard, she began to try to calm herself for fear of popping an artery. Memories went through her head fast, making it impossible to focus on one and just cry for that. She cried for the pain she felt when she saw Auron begin to disappear and ascend to the Farplane, how utterly helpless and caged in she felt. She saw all the arguments she's had with Auron, her father, her brothers. She saw her Home being destroyed by her own father, Tidus disappearing before Yuna...before she could...

Then she heard her name, spoken by a deep voice, a calm voice...was that a touch of concern she could hear? No. It couldn't be. Where is she? Where's Yuna? And everyone else?

Rikku struggled to open her eyes, not really wanting to. Slowly gathering her senses, she felt warm cloth around her, her head resting on a soft, warm pillow. Something wet clung on her forehead, which felt oddly bare at the same time. She heard rain in the distance, and heard the creaking of floors and hushed voices. What happened? Where was she? Is anyone hurt? Goddamnit, what the hell am I doing here?

Finally she opened her eyes and could see nothing. Panicing at first, she realized that a wet towel lay folded over her eyes. _Good. I don't want to open my eyes anyway._

"Are you awake, yet?" It was Auron, with amusement and impatience in his voice.

"Yeah, I guess so." Rikku answered, suddenly remembering what happened. She fainted. Cried like a baby, fell asleep. Woke up in a bed. Auron is sitting next to her. Where's the food?

She could feel the air shift with the movement of Auron. She heard the floors creak, and suddenly his warmth looming over her. Rikku's heart began pumping, wanting to move but was frozen in place, her adrenaline too quick for movement. The wet cloth on her face began to feel warm with her growing anxiousness. Everything seemed to be moving slowly around her, but her heart was beating faster and faster.

Her eyes still shut tight, Auron lifted the cloth from her face; Rikku didn't dare open her eyes, and she felt somewhat bare with the absence of her blue band that usually covered most of her head.

"What are you so anxious about?"

"Uhm..." Rikku peaked an eye open, and feeling foolish, the other one opened as well. Auron was standing over her, his legs against the bed, his hands resting on the covers. He was not wearing his red cloak: just his slops, and the black armor that covered his chest. His arms were muscular: which meant secure for Rikku. She squirmed a bit, trying to get some movement into her, and realized that she seemed to be missing a few garments. Infact, she had absolutely no clothes on. At all.

* * *

Okay, sorry for the extremely long delay! I hope you haven't spawned some hatred towards me yet >.> Thank you so much, I feel like a jerk, but thanks for your patience.

I encourage all of you to visit my fanfiction livejournal as that is where I will be posting the censored items from here. However, if you are under the proper age /or do not wish to read inappropiate happenings between Auron and Rikku...first off, what the HELL are you doing reading this? Second...just don't go to my LJ. Just don't. Self control: only you can do it! ;D


	5. Closer

**Chapter Five**  
_Closer_

The silence, which probably only lasted a few seconds, was getting unbearable to Rikku. She felt her face getting exceedingly hotter without any intention of letting up, it seemed. It worsened when Rikku finally pictured what she must have looked like through Auron's eyes -- a big red balloon.

"Right. Um...can I have my clothes?"

"If you insist," Auron said calmly with a hint of amusement in his voice. Rikku grinned, her face growing steadily paler and cooler without Auron's intent gaze, as he turned his back towards her and retrieved a skimpy pile of clothes from a skinny, un-inviting looking chair next to the door. They had Rikku's scent, which he was pleased to smell as he tossed them to her across the room.

The second they left his hand he immediately regretted it and hoped that she didn't have the same reflective instincts she usually took with her in battle while she was naked under those covers. But even as he wished it he knew what she would do without thinking, and he quickly turned towards the door...but a moment too late, for he caught a glimpse of Rikku quickly sitting up to catch her clothes, exposing her body from the midriff upwards.

"Sorry," he said hoarsely. He heard a whimper of surprise as Rikku suddenly realized what happened, and then shuffling as Rikku dipped back in the depths of the blankets. "I didn't mean to..."

Rikku tried to laugh but it came out as a sort of a sick, nervous "heh heh" sound. Then with more confidence she added, "It's okay! I know you didn't mean it," cheerfully. Auron couldn't help but smile as he fought the tightening of his pants, the blood rushing to his crotch. Quietly he said, "Good. We'll talk in the lobby, after you get dressed." He opened the door and peeked out in the hallway to make sure no one was there to witness his erection and then stepped out, closing the door softly behind him. Rikku didn't hear his loud footsteps echo through the hallway until a minute or so later, and only when she heard the last few echoes dying away did she jump out of bed to examine herself in the mirror.

"Uugh, bruises!" She said as she examined her arms, touching them a little and wincing. They were in the shape of what looked like finger prints, and she guessed that Auron held her a little too tight when he carried her to the Travel Agency. She let her mind settle on this thought for a moment. Then she walked back towards the bed, a bounce returning to her step and humming quietly to herself, and got dressed.

* * *

"How is Rikku?" 

"She is fine, Rin."

"I would be surprised if she didn't have bruises on her arms, the way you were holding on to her when you came here."

Auron raised his eyes to the Al Bhed merchant's as he leaned over the desk to examine some jewelry. Rin grinned, and they both returned their attention to the glass case beneath them. At this moment Rikku tiptoed through the hallway, closing the door behind her softly, and peeked behind the wall into the lobby to watch Auron and Rin. _What's he up to?_ she wondered as she leaned in closer to hear what they were saying.

"So, who are you buying this jewelry for? Some one special?"

Auron hesitated, which Rikku could sense even though his face was, as usual, nearly hidden.

"Yes," he finally said quietly. Rikku's insides turned and the blood rushed to her ears as she could feel a spark of jealousy within her. _Some one special?_

"Those." Auron said as he squatted, pointing to something in the case.

"An excellent choice, though very expensive. The feathers I picked from a rare bird myself, and are guranteed to last a lifetime, even through the weather of the Thunder Plains."

"How much?"

"Eight thousand gil," Rin said quickly. Rikku could see Auron retrieving a pouch from his waist and picked a few gold coins from it. They glittered as he handed them to Rin, whose face lit up as he performed his usual courtesy bow. Rikku rolled her eyes; Auron probably just made his year.

The thought _would_ have been funny to Rikku if her insides weren't too busy raging with jealousy and anger. _Who does he think he **is**!_ She said to herself. Then she plummeted into the reasons why it was inappropriate, unthoughtful, and even plain out _rude_ of him to be buying his girlfriends presents while he was supposed to be helping her. And why is he even here, anyway! Rikku was perfectly capable of camping out in the stupid Thunder Plains by herself, she doesn't need some legendary guardian protecting _her_. She's a legendary guardian herself, you know!

A sadness was beginning to ebb its way into Rikku even as her mind was flaring, and she tried to push it away but it just got worse. Being angry and sad is not a good combination for Rikku, especially for the people around her. A memory of her Home being blown up by her own family flew through her mind, as well as the memory of absolutely _ripping_ through that stupid flying bird thingy they had to fight only moments later before entering Bevelle to save Yuna. It was a good thing she didn't decide to take it out on anyone else, otherwise there _would_ have been casualties on Yuna's pilgrimage.

Without thinking Rikku stomped through the lobby and flew out the door, leaving Auron in a trail of rage. He retrieved the boxed earrings from Rin, tucked them in his belt and jogged out the door after her. It didn't take long for him to catch up to Rikku, who was busy muttering to herself and heading straight for the shelter under which they've been sleeping, splashing along the puddles and completely ignoring the loud cracks of lightening that struck the towers around her. Auron noticed this, and would have smiled if he wasn't so concerned with Rikku's emotional state.

He grabbed her arm and whirled her around, which produced a painful groan from Rikku. "OUCH!"

Quickly releasing his grasp, he noticed the bruise marks on her arms and Rin's prediction of them. But he ignored it, and tried to keep the frustration out of his voice as he asked her what was wrong with her.

"_Me?_ What's wrong with me? Oh no, the _better_ question is what's wrong with _you!_" She said angrily, flailing her arms and yelling "gah!" as she turned around and headed for the shelter. Auron heard her muttering something about a pervert buying presents for his whores as she sat down and started a fire, and then he knew what she was talking about.

"Rikku..."

"WHAT!" She said angrily, looking up from making dinner.

Auron gazed at her, feeling hurt and not sure what to say. She went back to ignoring him and fixing their food. The truth was, she couldn't look at him for more than a few seconds. Otherwise she might burst into tears. After a few minutes of angry mutterings coming from the girl (who Auron thought still looked beautiful), Auron finally figured something clever to say to reverse the situation.

"Rikku, you're not a whore."

It took a few seconds before Rikku's mumbling stopped. "Huh?" She looked up at him, her angry eyebrows softening and her green swirly eyes growing into two large moons. He waited for the thought to completely form in her mind as he sat down crossed-legged and stared at her.

"Oh..." she trailed off, embarrassed, not sure what to do. _Those earrings were for...me? **I'm** the special person? _ Her insides immediately cooled off the rage and were instead filling up with happiness to the point where she thought she would burst if her mind wasn't racing with how to cover up her folly.

"Heh. Whoops," she said sheepishly, with a hint of defeat in her voice. She went back to sprinkling the steak she was cooking over the small fire with basil leaves and pepper, looking rather pleased with herself. Auron smiled at her, waiting patiently for her his dinner, his heart less heavy than a few moments before. There wasn't a lot of dinner conversation, but there was a lot of staring and smirking.

Meanwhile, Rikku was bursting with questions that would have to be asked some other time, as they both laid down to sleep. For the first time since she got here she was actually enjoying herself, and the lightening seemed a little less frightening.

* * *

The opportune moment for question asking came a few days later. Auron was sketching something in a book, leaning against the trunk, and Rikku was just about getting bored of the book she was reading about a Ronso tribe in Mount Gagazet. After Yuna's pilgrimage she felt she owed it to Kimahri to learn as much as possible about his family and his tribe for all that he's done for her, but that doesn't mean she wasn't bored out of her freaking mind. 

"Um...Auron?" She peered over the trunk, trying to catch a glimpse of him. He grunted in response, and she could hear the scratching of the pencil against the paper as he continued his sketching.

"Um..._are_ there whores?"

The squiggling stopped, and Rikku's heart raced with anticipation of.

"No." More scribbling. Rikku breathed a sigh of relief and didn't dare think about asking about his past. He was always touchy about that subject to people they've run into on the pilgrimage -- Kinoc, Seymour... -- and she wasn't up for making him uncomfortable.

Though she could hardly doubt that he deserved it, after all of the discomfort he seemed to be putting her through on this little camping trip.

"And I don't have girlfriends, either." He added. Rikku could tell he was trying to suppress a laugh even as he said it, which made her giggle. Minutes passed. Awkward minutes it seemed to Rikku, who couldn't concentrate on her book for the life of her anymore.

"Right. So when do I get my earrings?"

"When we're finished here."

"When's that?"

"It's up to you."

"How about now?"

He sighed and stopped sketching, recalling a very persistent Rikku from a year ago. He was glad she hasn't changed that way. "Are you afraid of lightening anymore?"

Rikku thought about it for a moment. Just then a loud crack sounded a few meters away and she couldn't suppress a small squeak, but she wasn't nearly as frightened as she used to be. Auron chuckled, and said, "Not yet, then." Back to his sketching. Rikku was silenced for the time being, a feeling she wasn't used to.

"This is very brave of you, you know."

"Huh?"

"Well, I've never met anyone who faces their fears like you do. You haven't given up." Rikku detected pride in his voice, which sent bursting sensations of pride through her own body. Seizing the moment, she said cheerfully, "Thanks a lot, Auron."

"Hm," he grunted. And then, "you are welcome."

* * *

Half an hour later, Rikku was busy preparing their lunches beside Auron, who's left shoulder was facing her. She sat only a foot away, but she still couldn't peep at what Auron was sketching without compromising herself. 

Overtaken by curiousity, Rikku had to ask. "So uh...watcha drawin'?"

"A dream." Auron answered simply. He could see her puzzled expression from the corner of his eye but was at a loss on how to explain without giving it away, for the drawing was certainly not for Rikku's eyes.

"You know, I never really took you for much of an artist before...but I guess it kind of fits, huh."

"What do you mean?"

"Oooh I don't know, you being the dark mysterious type and all, maybe? I guess I should have known."

_If only she could see what I'm actually drawing..._ he thought to himself with a smirk as he gazed down at his sketch book at a half-naked Rikku in a bed, a look of surprise on her face as something is being tossed at her. It is true, though, that he didn't really have all that much time to draw on the pilgrimage, and that's really the only time Rikku and him have ever seen each other. Until now, that is.

"Lunch is ready!"

Auron put down his sketchbook and faced Rikku, who was grinning at her sweet-smelling sandwich before she took a huge bite out of it. Auron was surprised that she was able to take it down without choking, and it made his bites seem like a little girl's in comparison. He chuckled at the thought.

"Hm?" She stopped chewing and stared a Auron with a confused expression on her face, which made her look ridiculous with her puffed out cheeks from all the food she was eating.

"You're just being cute," he said with a smirk as he watched the blood rush to her face, and took a bite out of his own sandwich. By now Rikku was used to the sight of Auron without his huge red cloak on, but when he said that she looked at him with a hungry expression on her face that could not be satisfied by the sandwich, because he was looking at her with the same expression, though less obvious.

With one final gulp, Rikku put down her sandwich and drank down a glass of water. Then she sat there, looking at the ground just before Auron. Auron saw her expression and put his sandwich down as well. He was just swallowing the last bits of his sandwich, gazing at Rikku, when the next thing he knew he felt something warm and soft pressing against his lips and a smooth body pressing against his own.

* * *

**AN**: Heh, finally Chapter 5! I hope you all had as much fun reading that as I did writing it. I promise this isn't the last you've seen of me yet, I still have more in store for this couple's little camping trip. X  



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